THE Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), concerned about the 30 species of birds endemic to Jamaica, said it would be lobbying to designate 47 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) islandwide as protected areas.

The environment group said it would be establishing a national liaison committee to help with its lobby efforts.

The committee, JET said, will lobby for construction, mining and other forms of habitat degradation to be prohibited in the designated IBAs.

Diana McCaulay, the CEO of JET, told the Observer on Tuesday that there were no restrictions on what could be done in a protected area.

“The law requires a permit for things that are said to harm the environment. But there is nothing in the law that says you cannot allow a mine because it is a protected area or you cannot allow a hotel in a protected area. It’s still up to the regulatory agencies whether they are going to issue a permit,” McCaulay said.

She said a workshop held Tuesday was the first meeting to try to bring together a range of people across a range of disciplines.

Government, private sector and non-government personnel and scientists were in attendance at the workshop, held at Liguanea Club in Kingston, the Jamaican capital.

McCaulay said the idea was to develop the national liaison committee to start lobbying the government on the important bird areas.

Meanwhile, Mike Schwartz of the Windsor Research Centre, told the workshop that the Cockpit Country, the John Crow Mountains, Catadupa and the Blue Mountains have been ranked as the top four IBAs in need of protection, based on the numbers of endemic birds, forest size and forest quality.

Schwartz said that the persons who monitored bird sanctuaries did not have to be experts, and that non-government organisations could work with “local people who are interested to do the monitoring”.

Schwartz, who said that he was not against bird shooting if it is done sustainably, also argued for the gun clubs to be utilised in the protection of the IBAs. He said that the bird feeding trees that these clubs planted were helping to protect some of the IBAs.

“We would like to work with the gun clubs to get them to fund some of the work with the species of endemic birds. They do more harm than good,” he said.

Meanwhile, Catherine Levy told the workshop that discussions were taking place with the Institute of Jamaica to get it to house the national database on Jamaica’s endemic birds.

Levy said that a Jamaican Black Bird found only in forested areas was the country’s most endangered specie.

“It’s not the Jamaica Black Bird with the parrot beak. It’s not the king pin. This one is found only in forest areas and it’s not found in groups. It’s usually found single. It’s one of the things that nobody else has,” she said.

The endemic Jamaican birds are:

. The Roufous Tailed Flycatcher;

. Jamaican Woodpecker;

. Arrow Headed Warbler (Ants Picker):

. Jamaican Owl (Patoo);

. Sad Fly Catcher (Little Tom Fool);

. Blue Mountain Vireo;

. Jamaican Becard (Richatee/London City);

. Jamaican Pewee (Willie Pee);

. Jamaican Elaenia (Sarah Bird);

. Jamaican Vireo Sewi Sewi;

. Jamaican Tody (Robin Red Breast);

. Jamaican Petrel (Blue Mountain Duck);

. Ring-Tailed Pigeon (Ringtail);

. Crested Quail Dove (Mountain Witch);

. Yellow-Billed Parrot (Yellow Bill);

. Black-Billed Streamertail (Doctor Bird);

. Jamaican Mango (Mango Hummingbird);

. Jamaican Blackbird (Wild Pine Sargeant);

. Yellow-Shouldered Grassquit (Yellow-back);

. White-Chinned Thrush (Chap-man-chick);

. White-eyed Thrush (Glass Eye);

. Black-Billed Parrot (Black Bill);

. Red-Billed Streamertail (Doctor Bird/God bird);

. Orange Quit (Bluequit);

. Jamaican Crow (Jamicrow);

. Jamaican Stripe-Headed Tanager (Mark Head);

. Chestnut-Bellied Cuckoo (Old Man Bird);

. Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo (Old Woman Bird);

. Jamaican Poorwill;

. Jamaican euphonia (Chocho-quit).